Downtime
by Neuropsych
Summary: (FINISHED) A tough week can pay off in the end... if you're with the right person (read and review please)
1. Default Chapter

Author's Note: This is pure ... shippiness? Is that the word you all use? Total mush between Jack and Sam and with very little – if any – plot. There's your warning. Also, there are a few bad words, but nothing that you don't hear on regular TV. That said... enjoy, and let me know if I should continue this. (I just wrote it as something to write since I don't have another actual story in my head just yet... a few ideas, nothing more, and no real desire to start any lengthy saga)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own them...  
  
~*~  
  
The assignment had been a tough one, and Jack O'Neill was glad that he and his team were back on Earth. Not that he didn't like to travel, mind you, but he was glad to see his house when he and Carter pulled up into his driveway. Hammond had been so pleased with their successes on P243SD, that he'd even given them a few days down time, which Jack had every intention of enjoying.  
  
Carter looked slightly tense, and Jack knew she'd had an especially rough time of it this past few days. The stress of trying to figure out one of the weirdest looking doohickeys Jack had ever seen must have been tremendous, and she'd never complained the entire time they'd been off- world. Not at all like Jack, who'd done nothing but bitch. Even Daniel and Teal'c had been complaining, which was unusual, since Teal'c never complained, and Daniel was usually too fascinated with the new people around him to whine about the dust or the sun, or whatever it was that Jack usually found to whine about.  
  
This time had been different. Jack hadn't thought he'd ever be warm again. The temperature wasn't so bad, if it hadn't been for the almost nonstop raining. The rain had been cold, and it was always getting down under his shirt and soaking his hair, even through his hat. It was just enough to make you always shiver. Which Jack had. And then he'd bitched about shivering, and being cold.  
  
"I can't wait to take a nice hot five hour shower," Jack said as he opened the door and got out of his truck.  
  
"Five hours, Sir?"  
  
Sam shook her head.  
  
"Well, okay. I have company over for dinner, so it'll be a little shorter than that. But when you go home, I'm going to soak in the tub until my toes shrivel up and fall off."  
  
Carter laughed, and looked up at the sun. She, too, was glad to be home. Even though she didn't have a chance to go home and take the nice hot bubble bath that she'd promised herself she'd take once she got back to Earth. It would wait. After all, Jack O'Neill didn't offer to make dinner all that often. She wondered if the invitation had been tendered because he'd been worried that she wouldn't use her time off to actually take some time off. Which was possible, she supposed. Both that she would work through her days off, and that O'Neill would think ahead and keep her from doing just that.  
  
"You look beat, Carter," he'd told her earlier, smiling at her with those beautiful brown eyes that she just couldn't get enough of. "Why don't I take you home with me and make you a good, hot meal? Then I'll know that you've eaten at least once before I turn you loose to deal with your little toys."  
  
She'd nodded, unable to say no to him. She very rarely could. Especially when he turned on the charm like that. He was very dangerous, Sam knew. The rest of SG-1 had been invited as well, but Teal'c had said no. He wanted to be alone and warm, and he didn't care if he ever left the SGC again, as far as he was concerned. Daniel had promised to show up, eventually, but he'd told Jack he had to clear a few things from his emails first. A backlog of junk mail, probably, Jack thought, but he'd told him the door would be open, all he had to do was come over. There'd be plenty of food.  
  
~*~  
  
"I get the shower first," Jack said as he unlocked the door and opened it for her, letting her lead the way into his house. Sam raised an eyebrow. That meant that he thought she'd want to use his – which was a great idea the more she thought about it, but she didn't have a change of clothes with her.  
  
"Go ahead, Sir."  
  
"Good." He grinned, thinking he'd won some kind of victory, and she didn't have the heart to tell him otherwise. "Make yourself at home, and I'll be out in a little bit."  
  
He disappeared down the hall, already unbuttoning his shirt, and Sam gave herself a little shake as she allowed a very vivid image of him naked in the shower to come into her mind. Oh, it was vivid! She flushed slightly, and went into his kitchen, where she opened the fridge to see what he had to drink.  
  
Beer, or mayonnaise. Tough choice. Sam pulled a beer out and took the cap off. She could hear the shower running, and grinned when she heard him start singing. She carried her beer into the living room and sat down in the big overstuffed chair that she pretty much claimed as hers any time she came over. It was soft and comfortable, and she found herself drifting off as she sat there listening to him.  
  
"Carter?"  
  
His voice was soft in her ear, and it startled her to hear it so close. She jerked awake, embarrassed that she'd fallen asleep so quickly.  
  
"Yes, Sir?" She looked up, and saw his smiling brown eyes were less than a foot from her. His hair was damp from his shower, and his skin was flushed with warmth and the stinging spray.  
  
"I'm sorry I woke you. Go ahead and take a shower, okay?"  
  
"That's all right, Sir. I don't –"  
  
"Sam. Go take a shower. You'll be amazed at how good it feels."  
  
"I don't have another change of clothes."  
  
"You can borrow a pair of my sweats and a t-shirt. They'll be baggy, but you don't have to show off for anyone anyways."  
  
It was tempting. She shrugged, and nodded. Why not? Standing up, Carter realized that all Jack was wearing was a pair of sweats. No shirt, no socks, nothing. He was casual personified, and looked completely relaxed.  
  
"There's a towel on the peg. Let me know when you're ready for the clothes."  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
She walked into the bathroom, which was blessedly warm and damp from his own shower and she breathed in deeply the scent of him that still lingered on the air. From the razor that was in the shower, she knew he'd shaved and the smell of aftershave lotion permeated the air without oppressing every other scent around her. It was enough to make her get a warm feeling in the very center of her.  
  
Sam pulled her clothes off and started the water, then stepped into the shower eagerly. The warm water felt wonderful. Jack was right. She let it beat down on her for a long time, allowing it to help tense muscles begin to relax, and it was a while before she reached for the shampoo to wash her blonde hair. Even that felt good. Eventually, though, the water began to cool as the demands of two long hot showers became too much, and Carter got out reluctantly.  
  
Drying off with the towel he'd hung out for her, Carter wrapped it around herself, and then opened the door and peeked her head out.  
  
"Colonel? I'm ready for those clothes."  
  
He arrived at the door only a moment later, smiling slightly, and glad to see that she looked a little more relaxed.  
  
"How was the shower?"  
  
"It was great, Sir. Thanks."  
  
'I have something else that might feel just as good." Before she could ask him what it was, O'Neill reached into the bathroom and took her hand in his, pulling her out the door and into the hall. Clutching the towel tightly around her, Sam had no choice really but to follow him, and she wondered what he was up to as he led her across the hall and into his bedroom.  
  
"Um, Sir..."  
  
"Relax, Carter," Jack said, grinning at her sudden discomfiture. "I'm not going to do anything you wouldn't agree to."  
  
Of course when it came right down to it, Sam thought, there was really very little she wouldn't agree to do with Jack O'Neill. She didn't say anything, though, although she did flush when he led her over to the bed.  
  
"Lie down on your stomach."  
  
"What?"  
  
He rolled his eyes, and grinned. "I'm going to give you a message, Carter. Lie down on your stomach, and trust me."  
  
"Um... okay."  
  
She stretched out on his bed, keeping the towel firmly in place. Once she was in the proper position, Jack walked over and got on the bed with her, straddling the back of her knees. She didn't mind his weight on her, especially since very little was actually on her. One of his knees was on either side of her, and she didn't really feel pinned down by him, although she was.  
  
O'Neill pulled her towel down a little, baring her back, although he didn't bare anything else. He left the white fabric covering her rear, and Sam was grateful for that. Not that she didn't like her tush – and Jack thought it was a lovely tush as well - but... well, it would have been uncomfortable, and Jack didn't want her uncomfortable. That would have warred with his efforts to relax her.  
  
Then she forgot everything as he leaned over her and began to massage her shoulders. Sam sighed in true pleasure as his strong hands kneaded muscles that she didn't realize were so tense. He worked slowly and methodically, caressing her shoulders and neck, then moving on to her arms – all the way to her hands, and then moving back to her shoulders once more.  
  
He wasn't in any hurry, and it showed. Sam felt his hands all over her shoulders and upper arms, then finally felt him beginning to move lower to her back. By this time she was so relaxed that she was, once more, almost asleep. This was what Jack had been hoping for. He knew he made Carter nervous at times when he got close to her – and it made him nervous as well sometimes, but she deserved a little pampering after the week she'd put in.  
  
He continued the massage, although his hands weren't kneading any muscles now. They were pretty much just caressing her tenderly as he watched her finally give in and fall asleep completely. He knew the moment she fell asleep. That one last little bit of tenseness that she'd had in her shoulders relaxed utterly, and she sighed softly. Then her breathing became slower, and more tranquil and when he whispered her name, she didn't respond.  
  
Smiling at his success, Jack carefully got off the bed and covered her with a blanket, then left the room and went to the kitchen to start dinner. 


	2. 02

Jack loved the fine art of crock-pots. Crock-pots – as far as he was concerned – were the greatest things ever made. You put a piece of meat and some vegetables into it with a little water, waited a few hours, and presto! Dinner. The best thing about it; they were cheap, so if you didn't really feel like cleaning the dumb thing when you were done eating out of it, you could pretty much just throw it away and go buy another one. Jack knew this, because he'd done it. More than once.  
  
Since he didn't have a clue how long Sam would sleep, and he didn't know how long it would be before Daniel came over, Jack decided to do a little crock-pot cooking. He reached under the counter and pulled out his newest one – he'd lost count of which number this one was – and rinsed it out. Then he went to the freezer and pulled out a fair sized roast and plopped it into the crock-pot with a little water, and a few spices, and put the lid on. Viola! Dinner was cooking.  
  
Impressed with himself, Jack pulled a beer from the fridge and went into the living room and sprawled in Sam's chair. It was only fair, after all. She was sprawled in his bed. He picked up the remote control and turned on the TV, but the phone rang almost immediately. It was Daniel.  
  
"Hey, Jack."  
  
"Daniel. Where are you?"  
  
"In my office, still."  
  
"Still?"  
  
"I fell asleep at my desk." Even over the phone he sounded sheepish, and Jack grinned, although he didn't laugh.  
  
"With your cheek pressed against your keyboard?"  
  
"No... not this time." He'd learned that lesson.  
  
"You coming over?"  
  
"No, I'm going home. I'm beat. I just didn't want you waiting for me, wondering where I was."  
  
"Okay, if you're sure? I have plenty of food."  
  
"But you don't have enough beds, and that's really all I'm interested in right now."  
  
Jack didn't mention that he'd have enough beds if he doubled up with Sam in his own, but he thought it, and that caused him to actually look down the hall towards his bedroom.  
  
"All right, Daniel. I'll give you a rain check. You okay to drive home?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Leave it to Jack to mother hen him, even when he wasn't right there next to him. Daniel understood though that Jack felt his responsibility to his team didn't end just when they came back through the gate, or when they left the SGC.  
  
"Okay. I'll see you later. Get some sleep."  
  
He hung up the phone, walked into the bathroom and retrieved all the dirty clothes that were strewn around, took a moment to check on Sam and make sure she was still asleep – which she was – and then went back into the living room and plopped down in front of the TV. It wasn't exactly how he'd planned to spend his evening, but he didn't mind.  
  
~*~  
  
O'Neill fell asleep in the chair. He hadn't actually planned to. He did have a guest room, after all, that he could have slept in. But he was tired from the long week, too, and watching TV without a care in the world was as relaxing as things ever got for him, so it didn't take much.  
  
"Sir?"  
  
He opened his eyes and in the flickering light of the television saw Sam was kneeling next to the chair he was in. She was wrapped in the blanket that he'd covered her up with, and still looked sleepy. He could understand that. He still felt sleepy, too.  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"Where are my clothes?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"My clothes?" She tried speaking slowly, so he would understand her. Sam hated trying to talk to Jack right after he woke up. "Where are my clothes?"  
  
He turned and looked over his shoulder at the clock. It was late, and the room was dark, since he hadn't bothered to turn any lights on before settling in front of the TV. Who ever turned lights ON to watch TV?  
  
"Washing machine?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Sam sighed, and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to find some patience. He did, after all, just wake up. And only because she'd woken him.  
  
"My clothes are in the washer?"  
  
"Eh..." Jack stared at her for a second, then nodded as he remembered that yes that was what he'd done with them. "Yeah. Washer."  
  
"I need clothes, Sir."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"To wear."  
  
"I have some."  
  
She waited, and he stared at her a moment longer. Then realized she wanted them now. Sam sighed.  
  
"Where's Daniel?"  
  
"He fell asleep in his office."  
  
Jack stood up, and headed down the hall.  
  
"How was the nap?"  
  
"It was nice, Sir. Thank you."  
  
"How do you feel? Relaxed?"  
  
Well, she had. Right up until she'd woken up in his bed, butt-naked and wondering where she was and how she'd managed to fall asleep in such a compromising position.  
  
"I feel good, Sir. Thanks."  
  
"Good."  
  
Jack opened up his dresser drawers and pulled out a well-worn pair of sweats and handed them to her. Then found a t-shirt for her.  
  
"You get dressed, I'll put your clothes in the dryer."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
She watched as he left the room, and then dropped the blanket and put on his clothes. Yeah, they were too big for her, but they were comfortable, and clean. And warm.  
  
"Are you hungry, Sam?" Jack asked her, calling into the bedroom from the kitchen. The crock-pot had done its job and the roast was nicely cooked, and smelled wonderful. Carter walked down the hall and joined him in the kitchen, leaning against the counter as he peered at the roast and wondered why he hadn't put any potatoes in it or something.  
  
"You're not sending me home?"  
  
He looked over at her, his brown eyes soft. "Why would I do that? I promised you dinner, didn't I?"  
  
"Aren't you tired?"  
  
"Yup. But I'm hungry, too, now that I'm awake. You're not?"  
  
"I should go. Then you can get some sleep."  
  
"You can stay. And I can still get some sleep." Jack smiled at her, and turned on the charm once more. "Come on, Sam. Stay. It's not like I don't have the extra room. And I DID just make a huge roast, and there's no way I'll be able to eat it all by myself." He shrugged. "Besides. You can't leave dressed like that, so you'll have to wait until your clothes are dried at the very least, and while you're waiting, you might as well eat something."  
  
Carter shook her head, but she couldn't really refuse. Besides, she really didn't want to. Not only because of how she was dressed, but because she wanted his company.  
  
"Fine. I'll stay. But only because you went to so much effort to make dinner." 


	3. 03

"Rice or baked potatoes?"  
  
"What?"  
  
Jack smiled sleepily, thinking he wasn't the only one that wasn't completely awake.  
  
"Do you want rice with this? Or baked potatoes?"  
  
"You're cooking." Meaning 'you decide'.  
  
"Baked potatoes would be easier."  
  
"That's fine with me, Sir."  
  
"It wouldn't kill you to call me Jack, would it?"  
  
Sam blushed, slightly, and shook her head. "I suppose not. If you'd rather- "  
  
"I don't want to have to call you 'Major' all night, Sam," Jack said. "And it wouldn't be fair if I call you Sam and make you call me 'Sir'."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Potatoes?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
She watched as he dug out a couple of potatoes and wrapped them in tinfoil, and then threw them in the oven.  
  
"Something to drink? I have..." He opened up the fridge and grimaced. "Coffee? Water? Another beer?"  
  
Sam smiled, and shook her head. "I don't need anything, Jack."  
  
"I'll make a pot of coffee, Sam. You go sit down. If we hover over the potatoes, they'll never get done. Watched pot never boils and all that."  
  
"It will boil, eventually."  
  
"You've done it?"  
  
She nodded, sheepishly, and Jack grinned and reached out and took her hand, pulling her out of the kitchen with him and into the living room.  
  
"Not at my house, you don't."  
  
She smiled and he handed her the remote control for the TV. "You find a show, I'll make the coffee."  
  
Without waiting for a reply, he left her to settle herself, and went back to the kitchen.  
  
Sam plopped down on the sofa, ignoring the chair because she wanted to stretch out a little. With her bare feet tucked up underneath her comfortably, she leaned against the armrest of the couch, and used one of O'Neill's big puffy throw pillows to rest her head on.  
  
Carter didn't bother flipping the channels. She was fairly certain she wasn't going to find anything on TV anyways, so she left it where he'd had it. On the sports channel. It was playing the sports news just then, and since she knew very little about most of the things the anchor men were discussing – arguing about, really – Sam found herself drifting off once more.  
  
~*~  
  
Jack looked down at her as she slept, debating whether to put her to bed or leave her to sleep where she was. It wasn't as though she hadn't slept in worse places during the recent week they'd had, but that was more reason than ever to put her to bed where she could be more comfortable, as far as O'Neill was concerned.  
  
"Carter?"  
  
She mumbled something he couldn't understand. Jack knelt beside the couch and tried again, this time reaching out and touching her shoulder gently.  
  
"Sam?"  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"Wake up and go to bed."  
  
"Hmmm?" That didn't make any sense. Wake up and sleep?  
  
Jack shook his head, smiling despite himself, and scooped her up into his arms carefully. She opened her eyes, but only for a moment, and then they closed again. Her head drooped and rested on his shoulder as he carried her down the hall and into his bedroom where he deposited her back onto his bed. The bed in his guest room wasn't made – since it wasn't used all that often – so it was easier to put her in his, and he'd go sleep in the other room.  
  
"Jack?" She mumbled, sleepily, when she felt him putting her down. She brought her arms around his neck, holding him against her so he couldn't stand upright.  
  
"Shh..." He smiled, knowing she wouldn't be able to see it in the dark. "Go back to sleep, Sam."  
  
"What about dinner?"  
  
"It'll wait. I'll go turn off the oven, and we can eat it tomorrow for lunch."  
  
"I should go home..."  
  
"No way." He knew there was a good chance she'd fall asleep at the wheel in the state she was in. The state she was in which was his fault for making her so sleepy with that massage in the first place. There was no way he'd let her leave without a good night's sleep under her belt, first. "Relax, Sam. Go to sleep."  
  
"Hold me?"  
  
"Sure. Let me go turn off the oven."  
  
By the time he got back, she'd be asleep, and in the morning she'd never remember she asked.  
  
"M'kay."  
  
Sam nodded and let go of Jack's neck, and he stood up with a sigh. Maybe it wouldn't kill them if he did come back and hold her for a little while? It was a pleasant thought, that was for sure. But one that he couldn't allow himself to dwell over. Of course, it would be taking advantage of Sam, and Jack wouldn't do that. When they finally got together, it was going to be because they both were ready. Not because one of them was really tired and wanted to be cuddled.  
  
He tucked the blanket around her once more, bent and kissed her cheek gently, and left his room, closing the door behind him. 


	4. 04

He turned off the oven and put the roast in the fridge, crock-pot and all. It wouldn't take much to reheat it tomorrow, and it would take even less effort – and clean up – if he just kept the whole mess in the pot until then. He looked around the kitchen, making sure he didn't leave anything on that shouldn't be, then turned off the light, checked the lock on the front door and headed back down the hall.  
  
He didn't stop at his bedroom. For one thing, he didn't want to wake up her up again by going back in and checking on her. For another, there was always the chance that she wasn't completely asleep, and would expect him to keep his promise and come and hold her. Not that he had anything against holding her – far from it! – but holding would lead elsewhere, and to places that Sam and he weren't ready to deal with, and to things that he really wanted to have happen, but that really shouldn't. Not until they had a long talk about their possible future.  
  
Sighing in frustration of more than one kind, Jack opened the hall closet and pulled out sheets for the extra bed, then a couple of blankets. It was hardly cold in his house, but after a week of constantly being rained on, he was going to be wrapped up in a practical cocoon of warmth while he slept.  
  
He made the bed in the guest room quietly, which wasn't the norm. Usually he cussed out the fitted sheet that never stayed on all the other corners while he was trying to get that last corner on, and made making the bed into a right pain in the ass ordeal every time. This time, he scowled and glared a lot as the sheet did everything it could to avoid being stuck on his bed, but didn't say a word. He did give it a triumphant slap when he finally got the last corner to hold tight, and even gave it a smug smile when he smothered the bottom sheet with the top one, and then a blanket and a comforter. A pile of pillows later, and Jack turned off the light and got into bed, giving a contented sigh as he closed his eyes. He was asleep in minutes.  
  
~*~  
  
It was a measure of how tired he was that he didn't hear his door open. He also didn't hear the soft footfalls as Carter walked across the room and looked down at him sleepily. When she pulled the blankets back a little and slid into his bed next to him, however, he woke up instantly.  
  
"Sam?"  
  
"Who else?" Her voice was tired, but amused, and Jack wished the light were on because he knew there was a smile on her face, and he loved to see her smiling.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
It was obvious what she was doing, since she'd already cuddled up next to him. Not holding him, but pressing her warm body against his, with her head already stealing half of his pillow.  
  
"You said you'd hold me."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Changed your mind?"  
  
He smiled. She had to know better than that. Jack carefully reached out and put his arm around her, pulling her gently closer, and Sam sighed in contentment and shifted just enough that she could rest her head on his chest, her short hair tickling his bare skin.  
  
"I didn't want to wake you."  
  
"I wasn't asleep."  
  
"No?"  
  
"Well... mostly." The amusement was still in her voice, and Jack reached up and touched her cheek, feeling the pulled muscles that told him she was, indeed, grinning.  
  
"What am I going to do with you?" Jack asked her, half in exasperation, half serious, although he tried to make it sound like he was just teasing. He didn't do a very good job of it, though. Sam knew immediately what he was thinking, and she rested her hand on his stomach, just below his ribs.  
  
"For tonight? Just hold me, Jack. I really need to cuddle."  
  
"I can do that, Sam."  
  
He wrapped both arms around her, holding her with a tenderness that made Carter wish the night would last forever. She closed her eyes, the hand on his stomach caressing him idly as she began to drift off once more.  
  
"Sam?"  
  
His voice was a very soft whisper, but there was a quality to it that she hadn't heard before. She turned her head and looked up at his face, even though she knew she couldn't see him in the dark room.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Stop doing that? Please?"  
  
It took her a moment to understand what he was talking about. Then she smiled – which he felt against his bare skin, and he scowled in the darkness, although he wasn't really annoyed. It was a habit.  
  
"It's not funny."  
  
Her hand stilled on his belly, and she turned her head slightly and kissed his chest.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"No, you're not."  
  
"No, I'm not." He was right. She loved knowing what she did to him. Knowing the affect she had on him. Knowing that even though he liked to make everyone think he was always in control, there was always a moment when she'd know that he wasn't. Not completely, anyways.  
  
Jack shifted their position on the bed before Sam could say anything else. He still had his arms around her just as tightly, but they were in a spooning position, now, with her back pressed against his front. While it gave her every opportunity to feel his reaction to her, it also left her completely unable to keep teasing him – which was probably the whole idea, she decided. He had one arm wrapped tightly around her body, with her arms pinned, one against her side, the other under her body, and his other hand rested lightly on her hip. He leaned over slightly, and pressed a delicate kiss against the tender skin of her neck, which made her shiver as if she was back in the rain.  
  
"See how it feels?" He asked her, grinning in the dark.  
  
"Jack..."  
  
"Sam." He pulled her closer to him and hugged her tightly for a moment before loosening his grip on her just enough to let her breathe again. "Go to sleep, love. Tonight I want to hold you. Tomorrow... well... we'll see what tomorrow brings, okay?" There was no way they could discuss their future when they were both exhausted and not thinking beyond their libidos.  
  
She brought her hand up to rest against the back of the one that had her pinned against him so perfectly, and Jack let her go so he could hold it, then brought the hand on her hip over to cover them both.  
  
"Good night, Sam."  
  
She closed her eyes, and drifted off once more. This time, though, nothing would wake her until she was ready to waken on her own. She was where she wanted to be – and so was he – and no, they weren't lovers – not yet - but the embrace was the same, the affection was better, and the friendship was more intimate than even the closest of lovers had ever shared. It was enough.  
  
~*~  
  
The end! 


End file.
